Ozone Park

Ozone Park is a neighborhood located in the southwestern section of Queens, New York City, bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, and City Line. The park was named for the "fresh healthy air, especially from the sea" that blew into the park; the name was devised as a way to attract new residents. Ozone Park was created and settled in 1882, and extensive housing construction began in the 1920s. The first immigrants to arrive in the neighborhood were French immigrant workers at a pot factory on Atlantic Avenue, with Irish and German immigrants arriving later on. During the early 20th century, Italians from East New York, Brooklyn began to move into Ozone Park, which was nicknamed "the Little Italy of Queens". At the turn of the 21st century, immigrants from Latin America, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, Guyana, and Suriname moved into the area. Residents varied from working-class to middle-class families, and the area remained predominantly Italian into the 21st century. In 2010, Ozone Park had a population of 21,376 people, with 37.9% being Hispanic, 30.5% white, 19.4% Asian, 5.6% African-American, and 6.6% other.